Erythnul
This page may be a Stub or not include some information. For a full article on the topic with citations, please see ' ' at Greyhawkonline.com. Erythnul is the Oeridian god of Hate, Envy, Malice, Panic, Ugliness, and Slaughter. He is known as the Many, and is worshipped by many gnoll, troll, ogre, and bugbear tribes, in addition to humans. His symbol is a red blood drop, or a bestial mask representing Erythnul's changing visage. Description Erythnul resembles a seven-foot tall, brutal-looking man. He is rubicund of complexion, hirsute, and muscular, with knotted muscles and a blocky frame. His dull-green eyes are filled with the madness of war. He typically wears red fur and red-dyed leather, and carries a stone-headed mace. A hole in the head of the mace creates a whistling noise as Erythnul swings it; the keening howl of the mace has been known to send those who hear it fleeing until they collapse from exhaustion. Erythnul is called the Many, because in battle his features continually shift from human to bugbear to troll to ogre to gnoll and back to human again. His spilled blood transforms into similar creatures. Erythnul delights in panic and slaughter. He can spread fear through his eyes. Relationships Erythnul has a long-standing rivalry with Hextor, due to the latter stealing Erythnul's portfolio of War. He sponsored Roykyn's ascension to the status of hero-power. He is allied with Kurell. Erythnul is often worshipped in association with Karaan, though the latter deity is far more obscure. Erythnul is credited with creating the windblades and garngraths, races of fiends native to Pandemonium. Realm Erythnul's realm, the Citadel of Slaughter, is in the third layer of Pandemonium, Phlegethon. There, his domain appears to be the ruins of a great stone citadel. In the chill winds can be heard the sounds of a terrible battle. The maddened souls of Erythnul's faithful kill each other eternally. Erythnul himself joins in the melee, slaughtering an endless stream of his own worshippers. A giant sacrificial altar is said to exist at the center of it all. Previously, he had a realm called the Fields of Malice in Cocytus. Dogma The chaos of battle is the sacred charge of the worshippers of Erythnul. In all the myriad forms of terror and suffering that war creates, there is a strange kind of unity. This is part of the reason that Erythnul is called the Many. Battle is a test of merit and strength, and living and dying by the sword is the definition of the good life. Many of Erythnul's worshippers believe that blood spilled in battle feeds their god, increasing his madness and bloodlust. Chaotic neutral worshippers believe that non-combatants and weak opponents are meaningless, and that killing them does nothing to satiate their god or prove their ability; killing those unworthy of a warrior's death even angers Erythnul, they believe. Chaotic evil worshippers, who are far more common, disagree, believing that all slaughter is a sacrament, and that the dying screams of innocents are music to Erythnul's ears, hymns in the church of the battlefield. Worshipers In civilized lands, Erythnul's followers (including evil fighters, barbarians and rogues) form small, criminal cults. In savage lands, evil barbarians, gnolls, bugbears, ogres, and trolls commonly worship him. Many factions of Erythnul's cult exist, fighting one another as often as they fight nonbelievers. In cities, they tend to be less overt, forming a nebulous organization known as the Temple of Carnage. Most of Erythnul's faithful are chaotic evil, though a few are chaotic neutral. Erythnul is the official god of Stonehold. Clergy Erythnul's clerics wear rust-colored garments. On ceremonial occasions they wear white robes, the better to display the bloodstains on them. They wear stylized masks symbolizing Erythnul's many aspects. In civilized areas they may foment rebellion and unrest, while in the wild they may lead groups of bandits. Clerics of Erythnul get most of their training in large wilderness temple-fortresses. Senior clerics try to frighten would-be initiates into quitting; those who avoid flinching after many tests are accepted into the priesthood. The ranks of Erythnul's priesthood are, from lowest to highest, Raider, Marauder, Reaver, and Incarnate. Temples Erythnul's temples tend to be hidden. Most towns and cities have small, secret cults dedicated to the Many within the thieves' quarter. In the wilderness, his worshippers build squat, ugly fortresses where sacrifice after sacrifice takes place. Any place where carnage and slaughter have occurred is considered holy. Erythnul's profane altars are built on platforms reachable by steep flights of stairs. Rituals In the least violent services to Erythnul, shrill reed instruments are played discordantly while gongs clash and drums pound. During major rites, a fire is built and victims are sacrificed. One famous rite is the "Bloody Howl," when soldiers captured from the previous battle are killed in order to bring Erythnul's favor just before the next one. Prayers to Erythnul are customarily rhyming chants with gory subject matter. Artifacts and relics The Executioner's Hood is one of three such items originally worn by one Xeric IV, who killed every member of his extended family two centuries ago. The Morningstar of the Many is said to have been dipped in the blood of creatures from every plane. It resembles a mace carved with laughing mouths that takes on different characteristics every round. Gallery Bibliography *Conforti, Steven, ed. Living Greyhawk Official Listing of Deities for Use in the Campaign, version 2.0. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online:http://www.wizards.com/rpga/downloads/LG_Deities.zip *Gygax, Gary. "The Deities and Demigods of the World of Greyhawk." Dragon #71. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983. *-----. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983. *Haley, Jason H. "The Allure of Evil." Dragon #361. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. Available online: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20071112 *Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000. *Kestral, Gwendolyn. Monster Manual IV. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006. *Moore, Roger E. Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998. *Noonan, David. Complete Divine. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004. *-----. Monster Manual V. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. *Redman, Rich, Skip Williams, and James Wyatt. Deities and Demigods. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002. *Reynolds, Sean K. "Core Beliefs: Hextor." Dragon #356. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007. *Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992. External link *Erythnul at Wikipedia. Category:Giant deities Category:Gnoll deities Category:Goblinoid deities Category:Gods of hate and ugliness Category:Gods of murder Category:Gods of wrath Category:Human deities Category:Martial deities Category:Oeridian deities